Effects of Combinations of Toxin Binders with or without Natural Components on Broiler Breeders Exposed to Ochratoxin A.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of toxin binders on broiler breeders fed an ochratoxin A (OTA)-contaminated diet. A total of 60 45-week-old female Arbor Acres broiler breeder birds with an initial body weight of 3.65 ± 0.35 kg were randomly divided into 6 treatment groups, with 10 replicates per group and 1 bird per replicate. The trial was conducted for 9 weeks (including 1 week of adaptation). Feed additive 1 (FA1) was composed of clay minerals (85% bentonite and 12% clinoptilolite) with 3% charcoal. FA2 was composed of clay minerals (66.1% aluminosilicates) with natural components (0.8% artichoke and rosemary plant extracts), 7% yeast extract, 0.5% beta-glucans, and 25.6% carriers. The dietary treatment groups were as follows: (1) birds fed an OTA-free basal diet (Negative Control; NC); (2) lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged birds fed a diet including OTA (4 mg/kg) (Positive Control, PC); (3) the PC with 0.05% FA1 (Treatment 1, T1); (4) the PC with 0.10% FA1 (Treatment 2, T2); (5) the PC with 0.10% FA2 (Treatment 3, T3); and (6) the PC with 0.20% FA2 (Treatment 4, T4). The LPS challenge (an intramuscular injection of 1 mg E. coli O55:B5 LPS per kg of body weight) was performed on the first day of the experiment. The results of this experiment show that the PC treatment negatively affected (p < 0.05) egg production, hatchability, Haugh unit, bone mineralization, relative organ weight (abdominal fat, liver), the levels of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and total cholesterol in the blood, and OTA accumulation in the liver compared with the NC. However, supplementation with toxin binders mitigated (p < 0.05) the negative effects of the OTA. Specifically, supplementation with 0.10% FA1 and 0.10% FA2 increased (p < 0.05) eggshell strength by week 4, and the Haugh unit and bone mineralization (phosphorous) by week 8, while decreasing (p < 0.05) the relative weight of the liver and the levels of GOT and HDL in the blood. Supplementation with 0.10% FA2 led to greater improvements in various parameters, including laying performance and bone mineralization, than the other treatments. In conclusion, toxin binders with or without natural components can be effective tools in the mitigation of OTA-induced problems due to their synergistic effects.

Effects of supplemental different clay minerals in broiler chickens under cyclic heat stress.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of supplementing clay minerals and organic chromium in feed on broiler chicken under heat stress (HS). A total of 90 one-day-old broiler chicken (Arbor Acres) with an initial body weight of 45.0 ± 0.2 g were assigned to five treatment groups (six replications, three birds each cage): 1) NC group, basal diet under room temperature environment; 2) PC group, basal diet under high temperature (HT) environment; 3) ILT group, basal diet + 1% illite + HT; 4) ZLT group, basal diet + 1% zeolite + HT; 5) OC group, basal diet + 400 ppb/kg organic chromium + HT. The ILT and ZLT groups had significantly higher body weight than the PC group in 4 weeks. Apparent total tract digestibility of gross energy was increased in the ILT, ZLT, and OC groups compared to the PC group. The NC group had lower foot-pad dermatitis score than other groups. Escherichia coli population in the cecum and feces was decreased in the ZLT group than in the PC group. Lactobacillus in cecum and feces was significantly increased in the ZLT group than in the PC group. Regarding blood profiles, blood cortisol was decreased in the NC and ILT groups compared to the PC group. Water holding capacity and pH were increased in the ZLT group than the PC group. In conclusion, according to the results of growth performance, nutrients digestibility, bacteria counts, and meat characteristics, supplementation of the ZLT in broiler diet can alleviate HS.

Effects of exogenous protease on performance, economic evaluation, nutrient digestibility, fecal score, intestinal morphology, blood profile, carcass trait, and meat quality in broilers fed normal diets and diets considered with matrix value.

This study was conducted to estimate the effects of exogenous protease on performance, economic evaluation, nutrient digestibility, fecal score, intestinal morphology, blood profile, carcass traits, and meat quality in broilers fed normal diets and diets considered with matrix value. A total of 90, one-day-old Arbor Acres broiler chickens were randomly allocated to 3 dietary treatments with 6 replicates and each replicate of 5 broiler chickens. Treatments were as follows: 1) Basal diet (positive control, PC), 2) Basal diet formulated with full ProAct 360 matrix at 50 g/MT without addition of ProAct 360 (negative control, NC), 3) NC + 50 g/MT ProAct 360 (PA). Supplementation of exogenous protease to nutrient deficient NC diet by matrix values (PA) tended to increase growth performance and significantly improved intestinal morphology compared with the NC group. The PA group had significantly lower fecal score, and higher ATTD of crude protein and amino acids than those of the NC group. Furthermore, supplementation of exogenous protease to NC diet decreased feed cost, resulting in improved profit margin. However, there was no significant difference on carcass yield and relative organ weight. In conclusion, supplementation of exogenous protease using matrix value could be used as economic additive to improve growth, profit margin, digestibility, and gut health in broiler chickens.

Effects of different levels of organic chromium and selenomethionine cocktails in broilers.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace mineral that plays an important role in physiological processes by regulating the antioxidant defense system and enhancing immunity. Chromium is an essential mineral involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and also plays a role in maintaining normal insulin function. Based on these advantages, we hypothesized that the addition of selenomethionine (SeMet) and organic chromium (OC) to broiler diets would increase Se deposition, antioxidant capacity and immune response in meat. Therefore, this study analyzed the effects of OC and SeMet on growh performance, nutrients digestibility, blood profiles, intestinal morphology, meat quality characteristics, and taxonomic analysis of broilers. A total of 168 one-day-old broiler chicken (Arbor Acres) were randomly allotted to 3 groups based on the initial body weight of 37.33 ± 0.24 g with 7 replicate per 8 birds (mixed sex). The experiments period was 28 days. Dietary treatments were folloewd: Basal diets based on corn-soybean meal (CON), basal diet supplemented with 0.2 ppm OC and 0.2 ppm SeMet (CS4), and basal diet supplemented with 0.4 ppm OC and 0.4 ppm SeMet (CS8). Supplementation of OC and SeMet did not affect on growth performance, nutrient digestibility. However, CS8 supplementation increased in duodenum villus height and villus height : crypt depth, and increased in breast meat Se deposition. In addition, CS8 group showed higher uric acid and total antioxidant status than CON group. Taxonomic analysis at phylum level revealed that Proteobacteria and Firmicutes of CS4 and CS8 were lower than CON group. In genus level, the relative abundance of fecal Lactobacillus and Enterococcus of CS4 and CS8 groups were higher than CON group. In short, 0.4 ppm OC and 0.4 ppm SeMet supplementation to broiler diet supporitng positive gut microbiome change, also enhancing antioxidant capacity, and Se deposition in breast meat.

Effects of oral administration of different dosages of carvacrol essential oils on intestinal barrier function in broilers.

Essential oils are widely used in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries, and many plant essential oils have shown that they have positive effects on broilers nutrition. This experiment was conducted to study the effects of orally administered different dosages of carvacrol essential oils on intestinal barrier function in broiler chickens. A total of eighty 28-day-old (1.28 ± 0.15 kg) ROSS 308 broilers were randomly allocated to four groups of 20 replicates each, with one chicken per replicate per cage, and all were fed with the same diet. Four experimental groups were orally administered 0, 200, 300 or 400 µl carvacrol essential oils at 18:00 hr every day during the 2-week experimental period. As a result of which, the gene expression of the occludin, claudin-1, claudin-5, ZO-1 and ZO-2 in intestinal mucosa of small intestine (p < 0.05) and the goblet cell content in small intestine epithelium (p < 0.05) were significantly increased; test subjects with 300 or 400 µl carvacrol essential oils reduced the microbial counts of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli in the intestines (p < 0.05); Essential oils administration also significantly increased activity of the sucrase (p < 0.05) and lactase (p < 0.05) in intestinal mucosa. In conclusion, the carvacrol essential oils have positive effects on growth performance and intestinal barriers function of broilers; those effects may be related to the dosage, as administration of 300 or 400 µl was more effective than that of 200 µl.

A tri-coil bellows-type round window transducer with improved frequency characteristics for middle-ear implants.

A number of methods to drive the round window (RW) using a floating mass transducer (FMT) have been reported. This method has attracted attention because the FMT is relatively easy to implant in the RW niche. However, the use of an FMT to drive the RW has been proven to produce low outputs at frequencies below approximately 1 kHz. In this study, a new tri-coil bellows-type transducer (TCBT), which has excellent low frequency output and is easy to implant, is proposed. To design the frequency characteristics of the TCBT, mechanical and electrical simulations were performed, and then a comparative analysis was conducted between a floating mass type transducer (like the FMT) and a fixed type transducer (like the TCBT). The features of the proposed TCBT are as follows. First, the TCBT's housing is fixed to the RW niche so that it does not vibrate. Second, the internal end of a tiny bellows is connected to a vibrating three-pole permanent magnet located within three field coils. Finally, the rim of the bellows bottom is attached to the end of the housing that hermetically encloses the three field coils. In this design, the only vibrating element is the bellows itself, which efficiently drives the RW membrane. To evaluate the characteristics of this newly developed TCBT, the transducer was installed in the RW niche of temporal bones and the velocity of the stapes was measured using a laser Doppler vibrometer. The experimental results indicate that the TCBT can produce 100, 111, and 129 dB SPL equivalent pressure outputs at below 1 kHz, 1-3 kHz, and above 3 kHz, respectively. Thus, the TCBT with one side coupled to the RW via a bellows will be easy to implant and offer better performance than an FMT.

Comparison of auditory responses determined by acoustic stimulation and by mechanical round window stimulation at equivalent stapes velocities.

Active middle ear implants (AMEIs) have been studied to overcome the limitations of conventional hearing aids such as howling, occlusion, and social discrimination. AMEIs usually drive the oval window (OW) by means of transmitting vibrational force through the ossicles and the vibrational force corresponding to sound is generated from a mechanical actuator. Recently, round window (RW) stimulation using an AMEI such as a floating mass transducer (FMT) to deliver sound to the cochlea has been introduced and hearing improvement in clinical use has been reported. Although previous studies demonstrated that the auditory response to RW stimulation was comparable to a sound-evoked auditory response, few studies have investigated the quantification of the physiologic performance of an AMEI through RW stimulation on the inner ear in vivo. There is no established relationship between the cochlear responses and mechanical stimulation to RW. The aim of this study is to assess the physiologic response in RW stimulation by an AMEI. The transferred energy through the RW to the inner ear could estimate the response corresponding to acoustic stimulation in order to quantify the AMEI output in the ossicular chain or OW stimulation. The parameters of the auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were measured and compared based on stapes velocities similar enough to be regarded as the same for acoustic stimulation to the external auditory canal (EAC) and mechanical stimulation to the RW in an in vivo system. In conclusion, this study showed that the amplitudes and latencies of the ABRs of acoustic and RW stimulation showed significant differences at comparable stapes velocities in an in vivo system. These differences in the ABR amplitudes and latencies reflect different output functions of the cochlea in response to different stimulation pathways. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new method for quantifying the output of the cochlea in the case of RW stimulation.

Comparisons of electromagnetic and piezoelectric floating-mass transducers in human cadaveric temporal bones.

Electromagnetic floating-mass transducers for implantable middle-ear hearing devices (IMEHDs) afford the advantages of a simple surgical implantation procedure and easy attachment to the ossicles. However, their shortcomings include susceptibility to interference from environmental electromagnetic fields, relatively high current consumption, and a limited ability to output high-frequency vibrations. To address these limitations, a piezoelectric floating-mass transducer (PFMT) has recently been developed. This paper presents the results of a comparative study of these two types of vibration transducer developed for IMEHDs. The differential electromagnetic floating-mass transducer (DFMT) and the PFMT were implanted in two different sets of three cadaveric human temporal bones. The resulting stapes displacements were measured and compared on the basis of the ASTM standard for describing the output characteristics of IMEHDs. The experimental results show that the PFMT can produce significantly higher equivalent sound pressure levels above 3 kHz, due to the flat response of the PFMT, than can the DFMT. Thus, it is expected that the PFMT can be utilized to compensate for high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss.

Effects of dietary glucose level during late gestation on litter performance and glucose concentration in sows.

The effects of feeding glucose during the 5 days before parturition on litter performance and on glucose concentration in sows were studied. At day 100 of gestation, 130 multiparous sows were assigned to the treatments. Late gestating sows were fed 0 g, 150 g, 250 g, 350 g and 450 g of glucose a day, respectively. During lactation, all sows were given free access to the same lactation diet (without glucose). One day before parturition, blood samples were collected from 30 sows (6 sows per treatment) at 10 before and 20, 40, 60 and 80 min after the meal. The supply of additional dietary glucose increased piglet birth weight (P < 0.05). Feed intake in week 1 and week 1-4 of lactation was greatest in sows fed the 0% glucose diet, least by sows fed the 18% glucose diet, and intermediate by sows fed the 6, 10, 14% glucose diets (P < 0.05). Basal glucose concentration and time of maximum glucose concentration after glucose intake were not affected by dietary treatment in the last 5 days of gestation. The sows fed the 14 and 18% glucose diets had greater maximum increase in glucose concentration than sows fed diet without glucose (P < 0.05). In conclusion, feeding glucose to sows during 5 days before parturition increased birth weight of live-born piglet and decreased sows feed intake during lactation, but did not affect the performance of sows and piglets.